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General Mach Discussion / Re: Really need help
« on: August 13, 2009, 11:46:13 PM »
TurnerTom,
Please excuse me Tom, as i am attempting to help you. Now take a breath...........................
After reviewing all of your all postings I sincerily and honestly don't know where you are coming from
and will have a hard time answering you questions appropriately, but will try.
I have grouped your question's and remarks together . So please bear with me.
1A. Have problems with instability (losing steps) and am curious if anybody thinks adding a Smooth
Stepper card might help me?
I would suggest you not spend a penny on anything until you review all the components of your
system in light of how they relate to each other both, mechanically and electricaly, from the pc to the
stepper.
Yes, the SS can help if you have a PC with bad pulse stream out of the PP and have checked the
PC per all that has been recommned and know that it is the problem.
You can't clean up a crap signal very easily if at all.
No, the SS won't help if there are basic power supply, BOB, Driver or wiring problems.
1B. - the stepper motors (particularly the Z-Axis) fail to return exactly to their starting points
- tried numerous settings,A max speed of 300 mm/min ( say 12 inches per min ) would be nice
to obtain.
- the "Z" fell short by 25 steps,I tried slowing the motor's max speed settings down from 250 to
200. I don't like the way G0 sounds at 200 mm/Min and the end position never got better.
- The problem seems to show up when curring curves and both motors are running simultaneously
at varying rates...
Do you really realize how manny things can be a culprit for the above?
- Poor Pulses from the PC
- configuration - inproper steps / unit, backlash setting, pulse width etc.
- Bad wiring of the steppers
- power supply voltage and amperage
- BOB board influences
- Improper driver settings ( what kind of drivers are you using? Don't just say ******************, ,
post specific info on them, please, and maybe folks will have a look, but don't expect them to
to do the walking and looking for the information )
The sound of the steppers can tell a lot. If it sounds like your steppers have a bad bearing, being hit
with a little mallet in a reapeatble way, can 't get any speed, there are marbles rolling around in them,
then the PC really needs to be looked at.
2..Is there anything wrong with my choice of the Probotix RF isolator?
I don't know. Why do you need one?
3..We might be able to use a laptop at the lathe, we have a fairly new laptop running Windows Vista.
Is it worth trying an SS on that machine?
I don't use don't use Vista. There is a thread on using Vista, so you may want to read throught it and
see what they all have to say.
Some laptops work fine, some not so. There is a thread about using Laptops.
I treid the SS on three different laptops and all was fine with it.
4. If there is some glaring error in my present setup
I will assume your motor steps / unit are based on calculated values and you tested to see where they
started skipping and backed off from that point to leave some headroom. Even if it's 2 inches / min, but
here we circle back to the top of all the questions.
5.The motors are 3.5 volt so I assume the drive is outputting something close to 3.5VDC
Look at the power supply as whole to suite your drive and stepper requirements. Having info on the
motors helps.
6.This is all sort of new to me.
Walk before you run......you can't learn all this at once.
Read some on your owne, read the manuals, go to the gecko site and read for understanding.
Don't jump to conclusions and focus on one problem at a time. Ask for understanding.
7.I fear we are straying from my original question.
I hope ths gets you back on track.
8. I wonder if both these motors are skipping pulses every time and the lost pulses in one direction
compensate for the same number of lost pulses in the opposite direction. That way, in this situation
with one motor running at a time can always return the hand-wheel to zero??
I think reply #6 addresses this.
9. Anybody know of a simple kit to build a TTL pulse-counter with about six digits of display?
I don't know of any.
10. This skipping steps issue is the only thing keeping us from doing production.
I will tell my employer and suggest he consider springing for a smooth stepper.
Hmm .....But what will you say if the boss asks why?
Please excuse me Tom, as i am attempting to help you. Now take a breath...........................
After reviewing all of your all postings I sincerily and honestly don't know where you are coming from
and will have a hard time answering you questions appropriately, but will try.
I have grouped your question's and remarks together . So please bear with me.
1A. Have problems with instability (losing steps) and am curious if anybody thinks adding a Smooth
Stepper card might help me?
I would suggest you not spend a penny on anything until you review all the components of your
system in light of how they relate to each other both, mechanically and electricaly, from the pc to the
stepper.
Yes, the SS can help if you have a PC with bad pulse stream out of the PP and have checked the
PC per all that has been recommned and know that it is the problem.
You can't clean up a crap signal very easily if at all.
No, the SS won't help if there are basic power supply, BOB, Driver or wiring problems.
1B. - the stepper motors (particularly the Z-Axis) fail to return exactly to their starting points
- tried numerous settings,A max speed of 300 mm/min ( say 12 inches per min ) would be nice
to obtain.
- the "Z" fell short by 25 steps,I tried slowing the motor's max speed settings down from 250 to
200. I don't like the way G0 sounds at 200 mm/Min and the end position never got better.
- The problem seems to show up when curring curves and both motors are running simultaneously
at varying rates...
Do you really realize how manny things can be a culprit for the above?
- Poor Pulses from the PC
- configuration - inproper steps / unit, backlash setting, pulse width etc.
- Bad wiring of the steppers
- power supply voltage and amperage
- BOB board influences
- Improper driver settings ( what kind of drivers are you using? Don't just say ******************, ,
post specific info on them, please, and maybe folks will have a look, but don't expect them to
to do the walking and looking for the information )
The sound of the steppers can tell a lot. If it sounds like your steppers have a bad bearing, being hit
with a little mallet in a reapeatble way, can 't get any speed, there are marbles rolling around in them,
then the PC really needs to be looked at.
2..Is there anything wrong with my choice of the Probotix RF isolator?
I don't know. Why do you need one?
3..We might be able to use a laptop at the lathe, we have a fairly new laptop running Windows Vista.
Is it worth trying an SS on that machine?
I don't use don't use Vista. There is a thread on using Vista, so you may want to read throught it and
see what they all have to say.
Some laptops work fine, some not so. There is a thread about using Laptops.
I treid the SS on three different laptops and all was fine with it.
4. If there is some glaring error in my present setup
I will assume your motor steps / unit are based on calculated values and you tested to see where they
started skipping and backed off from that point to leave some headroom. Even if it's 2 inches / min, but
here we circle back to the top of all the questions.
5.The motors are 3.5 volt so I assume the drive is outputting something close to 3.5VDC
Look at the power supply as whole to suite your drive and stepper requirements. Having info on the
motors helps.
6.This is all sort of new to me.
Walk before you run......you can't learn all this at once.
Read some on your owne, read the manuals, go to the gecko site and read for understanding.
Don't jump to conclusions and focus on one problem at a time. Ask for understanding.
7.I fear we are straying from my original question.
I hope ths gets you back on track.
8. I wonder if both these motors are skipping pulses every time and the lost pulses in one direction
compensate for the same number of lost pulses in the opposite direction. That way, in this situation
with one motor running at a time can always return the hand-wheel to zero??
I think reply #6 addresses this.
9. Anybody know of a simple kit to build a TTL pulse-counter with about six digits of display?
I don't know of any.
10. This skipping steps issue is the only thing keeping us from doing production.
I will tell my employer and suggest he consider springing for a smooth stepper.
Hmm .....But what will you say if the boss asks why?
